A door light is a window which is installed in an opening in a door to allow additional light to enter a room and to enhance the appearance of the door. In a typical door light, a pane of glass is sandwiched between frames attached to both sides of a hollow door.
Many known door lights have frames which extend beyond the outer surfaces of the door. However, if low profile panic hardware must be installed in order to comply with fire codes or other safety regulations, often the panic hardware or the surface of the door must be shimmed or modified to allow the panic hardware to be installed over the protruding frame. Moreover, full length door lights which have frames that extend beyond the outermost surfaces of the door may not comply with handicap codes because the frame may catch on the wheel of a wheel chair or other equipment.
In addition, many existing door lights have frames that cannot be installed without welding or other methods which adversely affect pre-finished surfaces, such as polished brass. Typically, pre-finished frames must be welded prior to applying the finish. This process is time and labor intensive and results in less flexibility to the consumer to customize the size and shape of the frame while increasing cost to tho consumer. Frames having finished surfaces which are designed for installation in a pre-existing door must be fabricated and finished at the frame factory prior to shipment. Although special welding machines are available for welding pre-finished surfaces without affecting the final appearance of the surface, the specialized welding machines are expensive and not readily available for installing window lights outside of a factory. Therefore, if the window frame does not fit the opening in a door, the frame cannot be re-welded at the installation site without ruining the appearance of the pre-finished surface.
Further, although some existing door lights can be installed so that the outer surface of the frames are flush with the outer surface of the skins, extensive preparation to bend or modify the skins of the door is required before the frame can be installed.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a framing assembly that can be installed so that the outer surface of the frame does not extend past the surface of the door without modifying or bending the door skins prior to installation. Further, a need exists for a framing assembly that can be fabricated economically from components having pre-finished surfaces such as polished or antiqued brass, stainless steel, chrome or similar materials.